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Daily Loaf

Your daily source for the best in blog.

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Runners’ rules: Learning Bayshore Boulevard etiquette

Posted by Caitlin Reagan on Aug. 11, 2009, at 2:58 pm

Photo by Ebyabe

My first experience on Bayshore Boulevard was nearly a year ago, on a gorgeous day in the fall — sunny and breezy. My brother Phil had suggested we spend the day walking along Bayshore. This was the day I was introduced to Bayshore Etiquette.

“First, you should know that there is absolutely no stopping on the sidewalk. If you need to stop, just move over to the grass but not in the grass lane,” he said as he pointed to the half-dead line of grass that stretched along the sidewalk.

“Oh, and always travel on the right side of the sidewalk, Caitlin,” he told me while waving his arms back and forth in front of him to show me an imaginary lane in front of us.

“Often, a group of women will travel in a group and block the whole sidewalk,” he said as we continued to walk down Bayshore. “It’s very annoying.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: bayshore-blvd, etiquette, fitness, health and fitness, runners
Posted in Health & Wellness, Playground |



STD rates for the bay area

Posted by Shawn Alff on Aug. 11, 2009, at 10:49 am

After debating STD rates this weekend despite the fact that I had no solid evidence, I decided to research the matter. Below is a brief overview of the STD situation in the bay area. Keep in mind that while some of these rates may seem low, they are significantly higher among sexually active demographics.

According to Avert.org, in 2007 the Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater area reported 11,754 AIDS/HIV cases. For every 100,000 people, 17.2 people are living with the disease, or roughly 0.017 % of the total population. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2007, 2008, AIDS, avert.org, bay area, cases, chlamydia, Clearwater, Florida Department of Health, Gonorrhea, Hillsborough County, hiv, jjj, percentage, pinellas county, sexually active, St. Petersburg, statistics, STD rates, Syphilis, Tampa-Bay, U.S. Census Bureau
Posted in Education, Health & Wellness, Sex and Love, Uncategorized |



A veteran runner and virgin hasher runs for beer (and boobs)

Posted by Beth Shaw on Aug. 7, 2009, at 10:00 am

As promised, I attended a hash run last night. Let me start by saying that hashing is not for the meek, shy, conservative or anyone opposed to running through backyards and barbed wire. Hashing is also not really for those in training mode, unless you use it as a recovery run.

I heard that every hash group is different. Some place more emphasis on the beer and socializing aspect and some on the run. I think that it’s safe to say that the Jolly Roger Hash House Harriers in Tampa enjoy the beer and social aspect a wee bit more. This is not to say that we didn’t run, but more time was spent singing, joking, and drinking. Works for me.

When I arrived at the meet up spot I was a bit nervous. People were milling about wearing what I termed hasher flair. This flair consisted of necklaces with their hash names (Tie Me Down Dick, Fist Deep, Goo, Gay Rodeo Clown, Lost My Balls), shiggy socks (I’ll get to that), whistles, and sashes denoting the number of hashes participated in. Most of them also had their own cups.

Tie Me Down Dick's flair

Tie Me Down Dick

As soon as the beer truck pulled in, the drinking was on. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: backyards, balls, barbed wire, beer truck, chalk, Drink, gay rodeo, hares, hash house harriers, hash names, hashers, hashes, jolly roger, place more emphasis, religious advisor, rodeo clown, sashes, scavenger hunt, shiggy, smoked cigarettes, social aspect, Tampa, tit, trail, wee bit, whistles
Posted in Drink, Events, Health & Wellness, Sports |



Creative Loafing gets a green office makeover from Office Assistance Plus: Part 1

Posted by Lisa Assetta on Aug. 6, 2009, at 1:00 pm

CLs Lobby on the Day of the Consultation - yikes!

I’m a green office specialist and I’ve been privileged to be a contributor with the Creative Loafing Green Community since its launch this April. Sharing my green office tips through my posts recently led to an unexpected proposition from CL’s online producer, Stephen Hammill. The proposition: to come to CL’s office and consult with them on their office cleanup and reorganization project. Happy to assist my green partners in any way I could, I agreed.

I arrived at CL’s office at 810 North Howard Avenue in Tampa on July 1st for the consultation, workplace and workspace needs assessment, and walk through. I was met by their smiling and enthusiastic operations manager, London. We were joined shortly by Joran, their marketing director, who began to immediately follow us around with a camera (that was kind of creepy at first, but I eventually got used to it).

At the conclusion of the needs assessment, the scope of work became clear.

Video after the jump
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 4 Rs, creative loafing contributor, creative loafing green community, creative loafing office, green office, green office philosophy, green office specialist, Lisa Assetta, office assistance plus, recycle, reduce, repurpose, reuse, save money, save the environment, save time
Posted in Green Community, Green Jobs, Green Living, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Death of a penis: the story of your incredibly shrinking manhood

Posted by Shawn Alff on Aug. 5, 2009, at 11:48 am

If you’re a proud penis owner, you may not want to read this. A recent article by David Freeman of webmd, laid out the skinny on what happens to a penis with age. Here’s a hint: it doesn’t double in size or develop superhuman strength.

With age, most penises, and their owners, suffer from a decline in testosterone. This means more stimuli is required for arousal, it takes longer to get an erection, it’s harder to reach climax, and it takes more time to become aroused after sex. These effects are compounded by a loss of sensitivity, which transforms the member from the emotional and easily excited penis you once adored, to an unfeeling, useless lump. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: '70s, 60s, aging, arousal, article, climax, David Freeman, decline, drop, effects, erectile dysfunction, erection, gray pubic hair, hugh hefner, hugh hefner's girlfriends, length, loss, lump, naked pictures, old age, penis performance, penis size, penises testosterone, Peyronie's disease, playboy, proud penis owner, sensitivity, Sex, sex life, sexual satisfaction, shannon twins, shrink, size, sperm, stimuli, the body, Webmd
Posted in Health & Wellness, Sex and Love, Uncategorized |



The Ugly Side of Fitness

Posted by Caitlin Reagan on Aug. 5, 2009, at 12:00 am

“I hate running,” my friend Carolyn said to me as we sat sipping a glass of Sauvignon Blanc on an idle Tuesday evening. “In fact, I hate people who run. It seems masochistic in so many ways.”

“Maybe it is,” I said. “I run for the after-effects, not the process.”

My name is Caitlin Reagan. I’m a 23-year old Florida native who enjoys running and all things fitness. Please keep in mind that I said I enjoy these activities; therefore I am not a professional trainer nor am I one to pass up a Five Guys burger on a Sunday afternoon to cure my hangover.

I have just recently moved to St. Petersburg to attend graduate school at the University of South Florida and I’ll spend my time away from school discovering the various fitness programs offered in the St. Pete and Tampa area. I plan to give you all a “real person” perspective. In other words, I’ll tell you when I experienced a bout of flatulence and blamed it on the machine during a spin class.

Catch me next week when I discuss my introduction to the Bayshore Drive etiquette and my experience with following these unspoken rules.

Tags: fitness, fitness programs, health and fitness, runners, St. Petersburg, university of south florida
Posted in Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Running with The Stinky Drinkers: Introducing SD Liz

Posted by Holley Sinn on Aug. 4, 2009, at 7:42 pm

Hello, race fans!  Stinky Drinker Holley here with an update on the progress we’ve made in training for the Women’s Running Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon coming up November 22nd!  We’re a small but mighty running team, none of whom has ever run a “half” before, motivated by sheer will and the promise of a cold beer at the end of our journey.

I have another introduction to make, but first, here’s a quick update regarding membership and training.  We’ve officially welcomed a new member, Angela, to the team, and she is rockin’ and rollin’!  On Sun. July 26 we planned to run 7 miles, but the weather and downtown St. Pete’s Warped Tour had other plans for us.  Narrowly avoiding lightning strikes (note: NEVER run if there is lightning – if you can see it, it can strike you, no matter how far away it seems), we somehow managed to log 5 miles, soaked to the bone and surrounded by equally drenched teenagers.  We did what we’re calling our “urban” route by running up and down Central Ave., window shopping along the way. For future runs, we’ve set ourselves the task of developing interesting dance moves to perform at crosswalks while waiting for the light to change.  One must keep moving, and running in place looks pretty ridiculous….might as well look flat out, stark-raving mad performing the “cabbage patch kid” instead.

So…moving on: it’s time to meet SD Liz!  To learn more about the race we’re training for, log on to www.womenshalfmarathon.com! Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Angela, fitness, holley sinn, Liz, running, Stinky Drinkers, Women's Running Magazine Half-Marathon
Posted in Health & Wellness, Sports, The Stinky Drinkers |



Hashing defined, because running makes you thirsty, for alcohol

Posted by Beth Shaw on Jul. 30, 2009, at 10:57 am

Ever since I started running “professionally” I would hear whispers of a certain subculture of running, one  that involved booze, tawdry nicknames and running in dresses, red ones at that, worn by men. Redhead mentioned that she had heard of this underground running cult as well.

Who are Beth & Jen?

When not running a billion miles a week, Beth Shaw likes to watch movies based on comic books and hang out with her dog, the attack terrier, Lloyd.

Jen Morgan (The Redhead) is a transplant from Michigan now running around the Orlando area. A reformed party girl, she traded in her pumps for sneakers when the running bug bit summer of 2008 after running in her first 5k.

The two will run their hearts out and blog about it here. You can follow them at cltampa.com/runners.

Although we are fond of both running and boozing, we were perplexed by the concept of putting the two together.

Upon further investigation I found out this subculture is called hashing. While it’s not as secretive as I thought, the hash groups can be pretty selective on who they let in.

So, The Redhead and I have decided to go into the seedy underbelly of hashing. You know, find out what makes it tick. Yup, just call us Cagney & Lacey.

These hashers all have nicknames chosen for them based on personality traits, quirks, or random events. For example I know of one in the area known as Fist Deep. And another known as Smells Like Fish. Hm. Do the Redhead and I really want to subject our delicate sensibilities to people like this? Of course we do:
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: booze, cult, delicate sensibilities, dresses, fist, hash, hash groups, hashers, lacey, nicknames, Orlando, personality traits, quirks, random events, redhead, seedy underbelly, smells like fish, subculture, Tampa, Virgin Trail, whispers
Posted in Drink, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



The Stinky Drinkers: Meet SD Lisa, a.k.a. “Snake Bite”

Posted by Holley Sinn on Jul. 29, 2009, at 12:02 pm

SD Lisa is heretofore to be known as "Snake Bite"

[Editor's Note: Welcome to the latest chapter in Holley Sinn's running (ha) saga of The Stinky Drinkers, a beer-driven bunch in training for the upcoming Women’s Running Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon coming up this November in downtown St. Pete.]

After our most recent run, SD Phil decided that we needed some rules.  We needed to “name” each other (which we decided should be in reference to beer since that is our carb of choice), come up with appropriate punishments for SDs who miss training sessions and award achievements such as a certain number of miles contributed to the cause.   We are still working on 2 and 3, but I came up with a little SD profile quiz which allows each “stinker” to offer up an option as to his or her beer-related nickname.  Hence, SD Lisa became “Snake Bite.”  Check out the rest of her profile below, and stay tuned for more Stinky Drinker profiles to come, as the founders get a little personal!

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: beer, holley sinn, running, St. Petersburg, Stinky Drinkers, Women's Running Magazine Half-Marathon
Posted in Health & Wellness, The Stinky Drinkers |



Natural remedies to combat that pesky Swine Flu

Posted by Carol Roberts on Jul. 28, 2009, at 12:30 pm

Swine flu is back on the front page again. Swine flu revisited demands a more careful reading of the pandemic idea and what it means to a highly susceptible population, most of whom have never seen a virus like this before.

So, according to the CDC, more than 40,000 cases have been confirmed in the US and territories to date. Of these, 263 have died. Not a big number. Yet. They are telling us to brace ourselves, although they did that numerous times before with other strains of flu that never materialized. In the famous 1918 pandemic, 85% died in some areas. Where homeopathic remedies were used, 85% survived. Hmm, first clue. No antibiotics, no vaccines were available at the time, and people were eating real food, not ersatz “food products” invented in a chemistry lab at Monsanto.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: flu, herbal immune boosters, homeopathic remedies, immune boosters, Monsanto, swine flu
Posted in Green Living, Health & Wellness |



Dreaming of a global crisis

Posted by Dream Momma on Jul. 27, 2009, at 10:54 am

“Dream Momma, Last weekend I had a dream (nightmare) that I was trying to outrun a sinkhole with the family in the car. We made it to a shopping mall and ran inside just in time to see the parking lot and everything that lay beyond it swallowed up. It freaked me out and the only thing Julie could say was “What did you eat last night?”

Dear Dreamer, I have to assume you are married with kids and that Julie is your wife. On that assumption I believe this dream is about your belief and your marriage. You and your family are in a car (the marital journey) trying to outrun a sinkhole (big problem-separation-divorce-global crisis). In a nano second you are saved but the world outside is swallowed up.

Hmmm, swallowed up. What comes to mind when you think of the world being swallowed up? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: belief, car, crazed, deal breaker, divorce, eat, economic collapse, family, freaked out, global crisis, global warming, marriage, nightmare, passionate, separation, shopping mall, sinkhole, swallowed up
Posted in Dreams, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Meet “The Stinky Drinkers”: Fast women and cold beer

Posted by Holley Sinn on Jul. 20, 2009, at 6:02 pm

Greetings, sports fans!  After a considerable time off from CL blogging, I am back with a brand new project in which I would like to involve each and every one of you.  Wondering if I’m still bitter about Tim Tebow and his Florida Gators taking down my Oklahoma Sooners in the national title game?  Absolutely.  However, I have found a way to channel that aggression in a healthy and constructive way which brings me to the introductions I would like to make in today’s post.

It is in my nature to be….let’s say….overly active.  If my hands and feet are not busy doing something worthwhile, then I can generally be found running around in circles, all the while convincing myself that I am providing a service of some kind.  I think this affliction is referred to as “nervous energy,” and I have it in spades.  This condition is in no way diminished by my obsessive consumption of caffeinated beverages like the iced coffee I am consuming at this very moment, and I have no immediate plans to limit my intake.  I’ve tried — it’s an exercise in futility.

So when I learned about the upcoming Women’s Running Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon coming up this November in downtown St. Pete, I thought, “Okay…this is the perfect outlet for this influx of kinetic energy, and it’s not as daunting as the idea of 26 miles in a full marathon.  Sign me up!”  The event takes place on November 22nd, so in mid-May I printed out a training plan and set my feet in motion.

For exactly one month, I happily executed my training plan alone — running during my lunch breaks and after work….self-motivated and relentless.  But, after each grueling training session…with the heat and mosquitoes and the vomit-inducing smell of low tide and rotting mangroves…I was patting myself on the back alone.  There was no one to exchange high fives with…no one to sweat the glorious sweat of victory or exchange battle cries with.  Sadness and complacency threatened.  Action had to be taken, or the mission would be lost. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: beer, holley sinn, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, running, Stinky Drinkers, the independent, Women's Running Magazine Half-Marathon
Posted in Drink, Health & Wellness |



Dream Interpretation: Dreaming of masculine energy

Posted by Dream Momma on Jul. 19, 2009, at 6:00 am

Hi Dreammomma!!!

I had this dream last night.  last night: I was in a car with a man and we were coming back from someplace–perhaps dinner together, looking at offices, and such. we were getting close to my place and altho i was feeling close to him, i noticed that i suddenly started talking about business, getting some distance and then i work up. Interested in your comments.

Glad to help. This dream suggests ambivalence about relationships, work, or both. Assuming the dreamer is a woman, it could be as routine as not liking some guy she works with, or possibly thinking about romance with an office mate, but it’s not. I’m going to beat the drum here about not taking dreams literally.

Let’s look at it archetypically, Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ambivalence, car, dinner, distance, dream, energy, feminine, literal, make money, masculine, office romance, offices, relationship.man, Robert Johnson, work
Posted in Dreams, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Relationships & Dating, Sex and Love |



Dreaming of a messy bed

Posted by Dream Momma on Jul. 18, 2009, at 6:49 am

Dear Dream Momma, This little dream has been bothering me so I thought I would send it to you. In the dream my boss and his wife stopped by my house and my bed wasn’t made. (I always make my bed every day unless I’m so sick that i need to be in it.)

Hi Messy Bed Dreamer. I’m going to assume that when your boss and his wife stopped by you weren’t really sick in bed. So, what are you sick of? The dream says your job. The house is your life and the bed is your job, relationship, family, health, lifestyle, religion, social life, (Circle all that apply). Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: boss, bosses, change, circle, dream, family, health, House, Lifestyle, messy bed, overhaul, relationship, religion, sick, social life, wife
Posted in Dreams, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Green your pets: a guide to eco-friendly animal care

Posted by Michelle Schenck on Jul. 15, 2009, at 4:40 pm

With many people breaking out into the green movement and things like ‘recycling’ and ‘conserving’ becoming second nature, why not get your pets (or ‘kids’, if you’re like me) into your same habits?

Eco-friendly pet food, litters, etc., are more readily available than in the past, so try these few simple steps to make your cat or dog the greenest animal on the block.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: biodegradable, daily basis, Dog, good food, Hemp, homeless pets, Humane Society, junk food, litters, necessary precautions, neuter, organic, organic food, paperwork, pet pal, pets food, recycled materials, second nature, spaying and neutering, spaying and neutering your pet, spca, types of cancers
Posted in Green Community, Green Living, Green Policy, Health & Wellness, Shopping |



Living sustainably in Tampa Bay: Dave Starman’s biodiesel fueled car and green lifestyle

Posted by Jack B. on Jul. 13, 2009, at 3:55 pm

This column is the first in a series of profiles of people who do their part to live more sustainably in Tampa Bay.

Dave Starman lives a simple life. He resides on a sailboat in the harbor off Davis Island. He is just finishing his Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of South Florida, and drives to school everyday from South Tampa in his 1985 Mercedes Benz 300D diesel that he has converted to straight vegetable oil that he collects from restaurant waste fryers and filters.

The car is modified to heat the oil to a temperature which brings its viscocity similar to that of petroluem diesel fuel and the diesel engine just burns it.

On his sailboat, Dave limits his daily living power consumption to what can be collected from one 130 Watt solar panel.  He lives on a 12V DC system primarily with lights, stereo, water pump, and other marine navigational equipment.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: environmentalist, solar energy, sustainability, united states green building council, university of south florida, vegetable oil conversion
Posted in Activism, Green Community, Green Jobs, Green Living, Green Policy, Health & Wellness |



Dream interpretation: Envy, a normal family green thing

Posted by Dream Momma on Jul. 13, 2009, at 12:33 pm

“Dear Dream Momma, In my dream I was walking with my little sister. She told me not to look behind me or I would get hurt. That made me feel very uncomfortable and trip out a little so I started to walk faster. I pulled hard on her arm but she pulled away and walked slower than before. I was afraid to turn around but I knew my sister was walking right behind me and I felt weird, like she was going to hurt me so I turned around to look at her and instantly she said, “don’t worry I’m not going to hurt you.” The way she said it was probably the scariest/weirdest part of the whole dream. In real life my sister and I are really close. What do you think it means?”

Dear Big Sister, the first thing that comes to mind is sibling rivalry. Something most of us has to deal with at one time or another. I’m guessing what your sister doesn’t want you to see, why she tells you in the dream not to look behind you, is her envy- something she’s aware of (and you are too, unconsciously) and doesn’t demonstrate unless you are not looking. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: dividends, dream, Envy, family, fear, green, jealousy, maturity, milestone, pierced ears, sibling rivalry, sister, trip out, weird, yearning
Posted in Dreams, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Letting go of addictions: Using alternative methods to release addictions of any type

Posted by Kelly Rothwell on Jul. 13, 2009, at 8:00 am

There are many types of addictions that people face daily - from food to alcohol and drugs, to sex, shopping and gambling. Especially in difficult times, people tend to lean towards these behavior to comfort them through their perceived life challenges. Alternative methods such as energetic healing, visualizations and affirmations can be used to not only cope with such addictions, but also to understand the reason behind the addiction and let it go for good. These methods are a great addition to other standard methods such as AA (Alcoholic’s Anonymous) and counseling or alone depending on each individual’s needs.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: AA, addiction, addictive behavior, counseling, energetic healing, reiki
Posted in Events, Green Community, Green Living, Health & Wellness, Sex and Love, Shopping |



World’s strongest vagina lifts 31 pounds

Posted by Shawn Alff on Jul. 8, 2009, at 2:23 pm

In Novosibirsk Russia, 42 year-old Tatiata Kozhevnikova broke her own Guinness Record by hefting a glass ball attached to 14-kgs (about 31 pounds) of weight with her vagina muscles. Kozhenikova’s success didn’t happen overnight, but through fifteen years of rigorously training her world class vagina.

“After I had a child, my intimate muscles got unbelievably weak,” she said via a bad Russian interpreter. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 1976 Olympics, chuck norris, East German women's swim team, guinness book of world records, Murano glass ball, Novosibirsk Russia, penis-sized steroid-clitorises, strongest vagina, Tatiata Kozhevnikova, vagina-weights
Posted in Health & Wellness, Sex and Love |



Interpreting dreams of your shadow self

Posted by Dream Momma on Jul. 6, 2009, at 12:20 pm

Dream Momma, I hope you can help me. Here’s my dream. I was sitting with another man outdoors somewhere. It might have been in the mountains. It was cool and dry. Suddenly I noticed a dark figure to the right in the sky in a dark circle with red eyes that was coming towards us. I asked the man with me if he knew him and he leaned forward and said, “Be careful. He is not finished with you yet.” I asked him what he meant and he said, “You’re in no position to ask any questions.” I woke up and my heart was pounding.

Dear Dreamer, I will do my best. Usually, when we’re out in nature, especially in the mountains and there is another man (woman) with us it means that we have met either our inner guide or our shadow self — another, darker, part of ourselves that none of us likes to admit is there.  (Relax dreamer, we all have one. It’s part of the human condition). In this case you’ve met both. The good news is that you have met them and are actually in dialogue. Good for you. That gives you a leg up on most people.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: dream, good life waiting, heart pounding, inner dialogue, inner guide, mastery, mountains, outdoors, Pregoff Journal, red eyes, shadow self
Posted in Dreams, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Paddling through life, or not

Posted by Dream Momma on Jul. 6, 2009, at 7:00 am

Hi Dream Momma. I’m female and live in Chicago. Here’s my dream. I was out on Lake Michigan canoeing and a lot of other people were canoeing, too.  Here and there people started getting out of their canoes and into the water and I was wondering how they were going to get back into their boats. It looked very refreshing to be in the water and everyone was having fun.  Eventually it became clear that the water was draining out of the lake as the people who were out of their canoes were suddenly able to stand on the bottom.  Finally, the entire lake drained out and we were all standing around with our canoes.  The bottom of the lake (that we were now standing on) wasn’t flat – it was very hilly.  Eventually it started to rain and we were happy because we thought the rain would fill the lake up again but it wasn’t actually raining it was snowing snowflakes that were perfectly shaped little stars that we were catching in our hands.  We were all amazed.

Congratulations Chicago dreamer, you have had a life’s journey dream. Here are some of the archetypes that indicate that: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: bored, bottom, canoe, chicago, destiny, dream, Lake Michigan, live large, rain, snowflakes, Soul, stars, stranded, stuck, take risks, water, world weary
Posted in Dreams, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Natural alternatives to acetaminophen for pain relief

Posted by Carol Roberts on Jul. 1, 2009, at 5:00 pm

Once again the news headlines are full of the risks of pharmaceutical drugs. This time it’s that old staple, acetaminophen, the principle ingredient of Tylenol. Seems that every year 56,000 people are running to the ER with overdoses, some intentional, many accidental.

This is a liver toxin with the power to kill. At least 200 people die each year of this over the counter drug. This article from the New York Times states:

While the medicine is effective in treating headaches and reducing fevers, even recommended doses can cause liver damage in some people. And more than 400 people die and 42,000 are hospitalized every year in the United States from overdoses.

We know that aspirin can cause intestinal bleeding. NSAIDs (Aleve, Motrin, Advil) are similar in action. Several of them, Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex were recalled for causing heart attacks. So what can people do if they have arthritis, or headaches or other types of pain?
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: acetaminophen, causes of pain, natural alternatives, natural pain relief, painkillers, risks of drugs
Posted in Green Community, Green Living, Health & Wellness |



Using chelation therapy to prevent heart attacks and strokes

Posted by Carol Roberts on Jun. 30, 2009, at 5:00 pm

We have a chance to make history. In the pursuit of scientific, rational, effective, safe and inexpensive healthcare, does it not make sense to do all we can to prevent heart attacks?

A scientific trial has been underway since 2003 which is designed to test the hypothesis that chelation therapy is effective for exactly this purpose. Chelation is a simple process for the removal of toxic metals from the body. It involves the administration of a medication by IV in the doctor’s office. Many physicians who have been using this treatment for decades (myself included) recognize its benefit in this regard.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: chelation therapy, clinical trial, EDTA, heart attack, heart attack prevention, heart disease treatments, NIH, stroke, TACT
Posted in Green Community, Health & Wellness |



Moving through life’s challenges: using meditation and other techniques to face your fears

Posted by Kelly Rothwell on Jun. 30, 2009, at 8:00 am

The current state of the world has brought many of us into fear over a variety of life’s challenges, fear of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, losing our jobs, etc. Everyone has a story and has had a variety of challenges throughout their lives. These are a part of life. Without life’s polarities we would not continue to learn, grow and develop. How can we move beyond fear and into acceptance of life’s polarities? 

There are many techniques to assist us in looking at the positive in life instead of focusing on what appears to be negative and accepting these “negatives” for what they really are. Meditation has been around for thousands of years as a spiritual practice to assist in clearing the mind and connecting with the divine. Meditation brings peace and harmony to your whole being while offering additional benefits such as relaxation, reduction of stress and anxiety, increase of clarity and concentration, ability to release though patterns and improve physical, mental, and emotional health. 
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: fear, meditation, mental wellness, positive affirmations, visualizations
Posted in Dreams, Green Living, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Dream interpretation: There’s danger everywhere

Posted by Dream Momma on Jun. 29, 2009, at 12:01 pm

“Hi Dream Momma, This is my dream: It was night and I was crossing the street away from where I live to the other side. As I was crossing a man started yelling that I was about to be hit by a car. I looked and could see cars in the distance but didn’t feel they were close to me. But this man kept yelling that I was just about to be hit so I ran across the street. I was walking to a building across from where I live ( he seemed to be near where I live though I never saw him) and he started yelling that someone was chasing me so I started walking faster. He kept yelling “he’s getting closer.” So I was frantically trying to get my keys into the door I was going into. I finally did and the door turned into a swinging door that didn’t need a key. I decided to try and get to my building and avoid this man by going around the back. I was walking down the street and kept seeing people I knew but their backs were to me. Then I startled a cat that ran out from under a bush. Then I woke up.”

The key to this dream is in the first sentence.  As the clever image portrays, danger is everywhere. That belief is what appears in your unconscious (probably from an overprotective father) when you “cross the street” and “go away from where” you live.  According to the dream there is no safe place other than home; it’s not even safe to cross the street. In this case home is also metaphoric, i.e. the house in your head, i.e. believing what your parents did. I also think that the man chasing you is a metaphor for fear. Unconscious fear haunts you making it impossible to be truly free to make your own decisions and take your own risks. Read on. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: car, cat, curiosity, danger, door, dream, father, fear, frantic, freedom, keys, man, night, street, yelling
Posted in Dreams, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



The Green Community: Week in review

Posted by Katie M. on Jun. 28, 2009, at 8:00 am

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this past week:

The Derby Darlins have a successful first green event with T.R.E.E. at Little Bayou Park- Michelle Schenck reports on the roller girls from the Tampa Bay Derby Darlins‘ tree planting event last Saturday in St. Petersburg, an effort to offset all of the carbon emissions from their travels.

Let’s transform this ‘domination culture’ into a ‘partnership culture’ (Videos) – Eric Stewart asks: Is this the America we are handing over to our children? One thats main concern is violence and domination of the world? This government was put in place for the people: do the people want 60% of our taxes going to support defense? Why can’t 60% of our taxes go towards supporting education, renewable energy, as well as redoing the social net so that every human being in our country has their needs taken care of?
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: air-purifying plants, beer, bill wolverton, brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, car pool, carbon footprint, carbon offset, clean air, code green community, common items, conflict-free diamonds, Contaminated, cultivating, dep, Department of Enviormental Protection, dominator culture, earth, engagement ring, excess waste, fast food, Florida water, friendly hotel, fungi, genetic modification, Gold, good times, greasy food, green, Green Community, green office, green office specialist, Green wedding, growing, Hemp, hitting the road, home brewing, how to grow fresh air, indoor air pollutants, kick ass time, laughs, laws, Lisa Assetta, local, local restaurant, mushroom kit, mushrooms can save the world, mycelium, mycoforestry, mycogardening, mycopesticides, mycoremediation, mycorestoration, nanotechnology, New Belgium Brewing, office assistance plus, office environment, organic, organic beer, organic cotton, outdoors, oyster mushroom, pals, partnership culture, paul stamets, permaculture, picnic, plant, remove pollutants, Rick Kriseman, river restoration, robert kennedy, saving money on gas, shiitake, sierra nevada, snacks, Stone Brewing, sustainable, TED talk, two cars, upwards, vows, watershed protection, wedding, white water rafting, white water rafting in tennessee, wild gourmet mushrooms
Posted in Green Community, Green Living, Health & Wellness |



How mushrooms can save the world

Posted by Joshua Michael Poll on Jun. 27, 2009, at 5:00 pm

You may only have thought of mushrooms you buy at the supermarket, “psychedelic mushrooms”, or maybe even wild gourmet mushrooms, but have you thought about how they grow and what benefits mushrooms contain, not only nutritionally, but environmentally?

Mushrooms can save the world, I think they can, and so does author Paul Stamets, who has dedicated the last 30 years proving so. Over this time he has discovered 4 new species of mushrooms and pioneered countless techniques in the field of edible and medicinal mushroom cultivation. In 2008, Paul received the National Geographic Adventure Magazine’s Green-Novator and the Argosy Foundation’s E-chievement Awards. He was also named one of Utne Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World” in their November–December 2008 issue.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Contaminated, cultivating, fungi, growing, mushroom kit, mushrooms can save the world, mycelium, mycoforestry, mycogardening, mycopesticides, mycoremediation, mycorestoration, oyster mushroom, paul stamets, shiitake, TED talk, wild gourmet mushrooms
Posted in Green Community, Green Living, Health & Wellness |



Dreaming of meeting a prophet, or Satan

Posted by Dream Momma on Jun. 27, 2009, at 6:00 am

“Dream Momma, I had this dream more than once. In the dream I am high on a mountaintop sitting above the clouds with a man who had long white hair, long yellow fingernails, black eyes and long jagged teeth. I could smell his breath and sense his immense knowledge. The man looked down at the earth and expressed his hatred towards the human race and told me I was different, not better then anyone but would always be separate from everyone else.”

This is what we call a big dream. It is dense with a primal archetype that looks like a prophet but sounds like pure evil. I say this because the prophet as an archetype always appears bedraggled and with long white hair, dirty nails, bad teeth. Hey, he’s a desert prophet, they’re not into hygiene, no barbers nor dentists in the desert either. But … this guy is different.  He’s different because of his hatred of the human race. There is only one major archetype that hates the human race and that’s Satan.

This archetype is also seductive. Seductive like, “take the apple, Eve,” or, “Go ahead, coke’s not addictive and you’ll feel better.”  Or, “Come on, your wife won’t know and this bitch is really hot for you.” Real prophets are too busy prophesying for the good of man. They don’t want to seduce you, they want to save you.

How are you seduced? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: dream, earth, hatred, human race, immense knowledge, mountain, prophet, Satan
Posted in Dreams, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



How to stay green on the road this summer

Posted by Michelle Schenck on Jun. 26, 2009, at 1:00 pm

I am jumping in the car this weekend and hitting the road with some friends to do some white water rafting in Tennessee. This got me thinking about ways to conserve and stay green while I am in the car for upwards of 10 hours. Some people think of vacation and their normal routine might get thrown out the window. Fast food, speeding, and anything goes, right? Although that sometimes sounds good in theory, whenever I just ‘let it all hang out’, I ended up feeling guilty in the end for eating greasy food and being too excessive. This doesn’t mean, though, that you can’t have fun on the road. Actually quite the opposite. Check out a few simple ways to stay green on the road, feel good and have a kick ass time!
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: car pool, excess waste, fast food, friendly hotel, good times, greasy food, hitting the road, kick ass time, laughs, local restaurant, pals, picnic, saving money on gas, snacks, two cars, upwards, white water rafting, white water rafting in tennessee
Posted in Green Community, Green Living, Green Policy, Health & Wellness |



Healthcare vs. illness care

Posted by Carol Roberts on Jun. 25, 2009, at 2:00 pm

So while everyone is arguing about who pays for “healthcare”, let’s explore a more basic question: what is healthcare?

Is it antibiotics? No, because that’s a treatment for an infection. Is it heart bypass surgery? No, because that’s an end run around a clogged and diseased artery. Is it anti-depressants, pain medicine or anti-inflammatories? No, they are all symptom relief strategies, – illness care – not healthcare. And it certainly isn’t chemo-“therapy”, which is administering poisons for a disease caused by toxicity.

Real healthcare is taking care of yourself. Real healthcare is replacing missing nutrients. Real healthcare is movement that strengthens and stretches and improves your mood. Real healthcare is cleaning up your internal environment and your toxic beliefs. Who should pay for that?
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: corn, food additives, food allergies, food sensitivities, healthcare, healthcare reform, illness care, prevention, self-care, sulfites
Posted in Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Green office tip: clean the air in your office and remove pollutants with a plant

Posted by Lisa Assetta on Jun. 24, 2009, at 6:00 pm

You spend a lot of time in your home or business office and you can clean the air you breathe as you work just by adding a plant to your workspace! Plants are the quickest, most efficient filters of the most common air pollutants, such as formaldehyde, benzene, xylene and ammonia (source: longtime NASA researcher Dr. B.C. “Bill” Wolverton in his book How to Grow Fresh Air). It’s all about photosynthesis and how plants produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. Through this process, plants absorb up to 87% of indoor air pollutants.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: air-purifying plants, bill wolverton, clean air, green office, green office specialist, how to grow fresh air, indoor air pollutants, Lisa Assetta, office assistance plus, office environment, plant, remove pollutants
Posted in Green Community, Green Living, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle |



Creativity and cannibalism in dreams

Posted by Dream Momma on Jun. 20, 2009, at 6:00 am

Metaphoric Cannibalism

Metaphoric Cannibalism

A poet writes, “Last night I had a dream that I ate my own index finger. The dream was pretty vivid and unpleasant. I saw how I scraped flesh from it. I ate it like it was a candy. Then I went to the resort, where I was supposed to have fun, but I got in the retirement facility. It was almost empty with young people as retirees and they sat around the table in the dark. I asked why they don’t have light – someone said that they turned off lights to save money.  Can you give me an idea about it?”

Dream Momma: Yes, I can.  This dream is about your creative shadow and light. The doubting of your talent.  The very idea of cannibalizing yourself, especially with such a vital body part (the index finger) is about creative self-loathing that is triggered by external sources. Archetypically, the index finger (vital for a writer) is the tutelary god Jupiter, who used that finger to outsmart Saturn.  It is the finger that gives a writer direction,  guidance, and character.

In your dream teeth represent anger.  Anger over your creative direction.  Do you feel you need more guidance?  If so, it won’t be from this dark, lifeless, cannibalizing, group.  I think you go to them to get sustenance (light) and instead you get darkness (self-destruction)… Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: anger, candy, cannibalism, dark side, dream, index finger, Jupiter, Poetry, teeth, unconscious, writing
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Dreams, Health & Wellness |



Interview with local filmmaker Arlen Slobodow about In The Air, a documentary about the air pollution, our health, and the environment in Tampa Bay

Posted by Matt De Vlieger on Jun. 19, 2009, at 8:00 am

Below, is an interview I just conducted with Arlen Slobodow, a local filmmaker who just completed a documentary about air pollution caused by fossil fuels in the Tampa Bay area and how it affects our health and the health of our planet. Also, see my last post which goes more in depth about the film.

The following interview was conducted by phone on the evening of Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

Matt De Vlieger (M): How did you get involved in documentary filmmaking?
Arlen Slobodow (A):
I have always been interested in social change work and have found mass media a good way to accomplish that. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: air pollution, carbon emissions, children, citizen, climate change, corporate, de vlieger, documentary, documentary filmmaking, downtown, energy, energy consumption, energy policy, energy use, Environment, facebook, filmmaker, Florida, fossil fuel, fossil fuel emissions, fossil fuels, future, generation, government, green, greenpeace, HBO, health, health concerns, historic, interest, interview, media, meeting, meeting the challenge, money, power consumption, private utility companies, Public Health, public health impacts, rescue, solar, solar energy, solar hot water, solar hot water system, state, Sunshine State, Tampa, tampa bay area, teco, transportation, transportation alternatives, USA, war
Posted in Activism, Arts & Entertainment, Green Community, Green Jobs, Green Living, Green Policy, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Movies, Television |



In The Air (Video): Local documentarian explores impacts of fossil fuel emissons on Tampa Bay and its residents

Posted by Matt De Vlieger on Jun. 17, 2009, at 5:24 pm

Recently, I received an email from a local filmmaker, Arlen Slobodow of Public Media Productions, asking me to take a look at a 17-minute video he just completed on public health and the environmental consequences of air pollution in the Tampa Bay area.  Because I am such a supporter of local independent media production, things that inspire action for the public good, and combating big polluters, I thought I’d share it.  Also, be sure to check out my interview with the film’s writer/director/producer, Arlen Slobodow, in my next post.

Video after the jump

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: activist, air pollution, backyards, blip tv, cl, climate change, day, director, documentarian, documentary, Environment, environmental consequences, estuary program, feeling, film, filmmaker, fossil fuel, fossil fuels, global warming, head, health, impacts of global warming, independent, independent media production, interview, island, jane lubchenco, local, media, Men, mma, nation, National, national oceanic and atmospheric administration, NC, nut, obama, ocean, oil, online, plane, polar regions, poll, polluters, produce, Producer, production, productions, Professor, Public Health, public service providers, rant, ratio, reality, risk, service, skin, state, sting, Tampa, tampa bay area, tampa bay estuary, The Nation, tropical islands, TV, United States, up, UST, UT, video, visible impacts, w, war, writer, X
Posted in Activism, Arts & Entertainment, Green Community, Green Jobs, Green Living, Green Policy, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Politics, Uncategorized |



Organics: How to eat well without breaking your budget

Posted by Kelly Rothwell on Jun. 16, 2009, at 8:00 am

With the increase of demand over organic food products in the last ten years, you would think that a wide range of these products would be easily accessible to most Americans, but this unfortunately is not the case yet. Many of the large companies are beginning to see the need for organic products and are beginning to expand their offerings in an effort to appease these needs. In the mean time, until organics are widely available at an affordable price, what are we to do? I am writing to offer some advice on purchasing healthy organic food in this region without breaking your budget.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: albertsons, costco, food, health, local, local farms, local food, natural, natural goods, organic, produce, publix, publix greenwise market, Shopping, sustainable, wal-mart, whole foods
Posted in Food News, Food and Restaurants, Green Community, Green Living, Health & Wellness |

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